One-piece Cleanable and Reusable Drinking Straw

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a one-piece cleanable and reusable drinking straws. The drinking straw comprises two semi-circular side bodies resulting in an opening on one surface of the straw wherein the said two semi-circular side bodies overlaps with each other thereby closing the opening of the straw, a full length hinge on the opposite side of the opening formed on the straw, a clipping mechanism with at least one male clip and at least one female clip on the edges of each semi-circular side body creating an airlocked closure, and an indentation on the outer part of one side body of the straw thus providing a way for the user to open the straw conveniently. The washable cylindrical drinking straw opens up completely to lay flat in dishwasher for washing or to dry on a mat after it is hand-washed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cleanable and reusable drinkingstraws. The present invention, more particularly, relates to straws thatcan be opened in half allowing the user to effectively clean and dry thesame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Single use plastic straws are extremely harmful to the environment. Asthey are difficult to dispose off, they are filling up our oceans andcausing unnecessary pollution and health issues for marine animals.

There are reusable plastic straws in the market but they are not thebest replacement as they are unsanitary, inconvenient to clean and canresult in health issues for the user. It is convenient to throw thestraw than to clean it because of its size. Also, the cylindrical strawswith small diameters make it harder to reach every area for cleaning.Therefore, most of the straws only provide one time use. Further, thematerial of these straws also prevents long term use of it. Paper strawseven though very environmental friendly are not very useful with kids asthey tend to chew them making sucking a beverage very difficult. Also,paper straws don't work with thick beverages like smoothies.

The cleanable reusable straws that are in market are not airtight, donot work properly, it's difficult to clean them, and are expensive.Further, they are not very convenient to open for cleaning.

Therefore, a need remains for a one-piece drinking straw that allows forsimple, convenient and effective cleaning and drying thereby making itreusable for the users and also helping the environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription of the invention. This Summary is not intended to identifykey aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter.Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determiningthe scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present application discloses seamless and airtight one-piece strawsthat can be opened for cleaning, sanitizing and drying.

It is an object of this invention to provide a drinking straw with alateral cut through the length of a portion of the straw cutting theentire straw in a first semi-circular side body and a secondsemi-circular side body resulting in opening of the straw. Further, thefirst semi-circular side body and the said second semi-circular sidebody are tapered towards their respective edges. Furthermore, thetapered edge of first semi-circular side body overlaps onto the taperededge of second semi-circular side body when closing the opening of thestraw.

It is another object of the invention to provide a straw with an openingaccess resulting in hollow semi-circular straw halves connected via afull length hinge which allows for effective cleaning and also allowsthe user to connect both halves of the straw maintaining the tube shapefor straw function. The position of hinge is such that the straw halvesare spaced no more than approximately 0.050 inches apart and preferablyno more than 0.025 inches apart. The feature of the straw with a fulllength hinge makes it possible for straw to remain open during cleaningand drying unless closed by the user.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a one-piecereusable straw with a clipping mechanism that opens and closes the strawthereby allowing for simple, convenient and effective cleaning anddrying.

The lateral cut through the entire length of the straw and the way partof the two semi-circular side bodies of the straw are tapered towardstheir respective edges allows space for various clipping components. Theclipping mechanism formed on the tapered edge of each semi-circular sidebody where the straw is cut longitudinally in halves, opposite to thefull-length hinge, ensures an airlocked closure of the two semi-circularhalves of the straw. It comprises of at least one male snap tab or clipand at least one female snap tab or clip on each semi-circular side bodyof the straw allowing the user to open and close the straw conveniently.The number of male and female snap tabs or clips on each straw may varyfrom 1 to 5 respectively. The male snap tab or clip components are smallsemi-cylindrical protrusions on first semi-circular side body of thestraw whereas female snap tab or clip components are rectangular recesson second semi-circular side body of the straw. When the user intends toclose the straw, the first semi-circular side body is overlapped ontothe second semi-circular side body wherein the semi-cylindricalprotruded male snap tab or clip components interlocks into therectangular recessed female snap tab or clip components allowing the twosemi-circular side bodies to snap close. This feature of interlocking ofmale and female snap tab components when each of the semi-circular sidebodies are overlapped creates a seamless and airtight design in a straw.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a drinking straw withat least one indentation on the outer part of one side body of the strawthus providing a way for the user to open the straw conveniently. Theindentation on the outside of the straw on one side body is a notchwhich when pressed detaches the interlocked male and female snap tabcomponents which opens the straw. The shape of the notch on one side ofthe body could be but not limited to semi-circular, crescent orelongated annular.

It is an another object of this invention to provide a one piece strawthat is fully functional, minimal, and airtight with a seamless design.The straw of the present invention can be made with various diametersdepending upon the need of users. The straw with a smaller diameter ispreferred thereby making it work as classic straw.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a washabledrinking straw that opens up completely to lay flat in dishwasher forwashing or to dry on a mat after it is hand-washed. The hinge not onlykeeps the straw open for lying flat on a surface, it also exposes theentire internal surface of the straw for effective cleaning.

When the straw is closed, the user uses the straw as he would anystandard straw to drink a beverage. When ready to open, the user placestheir finger or thumb into the indentation located on the outside of thestraw and applies an outward pressure to detach the male snap tabcomponents from female snap tab components. When the straw is opened, itcan be washed by either placing it in a dishwasher or by hand. The fulllength hinge on the straw let it remains open on its own which makes itconvenient to place it on a rack of dishwasher. Further, it also helpsif and when it is laid out to dry. Once cleaned and dried, the user canpush the two side bodies to overlap with each other with as little astwo fingers, interlocking the clips and closing the straw making itready for use.

In a preferred embodiment, a one piece washable cylindrical drinkingstraw comprising a lateral cut through the length of a portion of thestraw cutting the full straw in a first semi-circular side body and asecond semi-circular side body resulting in opening on one surface ofthe straw wherein the said first semi-circular side body and the saidsecond semi-circular side body overlaps with each other thereby closingthe opening of the straw; a full length hinge on the opposite side ofthe opening formed on the straw wherein the said hinge allows the strawto remain open when placed on its own; a clipping mechanism comprisingat least one male clip on edge of first semi-circular side body and atleast one female clip on edge of second semi-circular side body of theopening formed on the straw creating an airlocked closure when male andfemale clips are snap closed; and an indent on the outside of the strawto conveniently open the straw by putting outward pressure on the saidindent and detaching the male clips from female clips.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of the invention as morefully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to likeparts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention, as well as the invention itself,both as to its structure and its operation will be best understood fromthe accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdescription, in which similar reference characters refer to similarparts, and in which:

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of drinking straw in open positionaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of drinking straw in closed positionaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows a top view of drinking straw in open position according toa preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows a top view of drinking straw in close position accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention

FIGS. 3A & 3B shows a perspective view of drinking straw in open andclosed position respectively showing only one indentation according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A shows a cross section view of the drinking straw when it is openfor washing or drying according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4B shows a cross section view of the drinking straw when it isclosed for drinking a beverage.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of drinking straw in open positionshowing hollow female clips.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/orexamples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be madeto the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawingsis part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/orexamples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes,and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structuraland/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

In an exemplary embodiment of the drinking straw (10), as illustrated inFIG. 1A, the drinking straw may comprise a hinge (11) covering theentire length of the drinking straw (10), two semi-circular side bodies(13, 16) formed after the drinking straw was cut laterally, at least oneindentation (17) on the outer part of one semicircular side body (13).

FIGS. 2A and 3A shows a drinking straw (10) with an opening formed afterthe drinking straw (10) was cut laterally. As can be seen in FIGS. 2Aand 3A, the hinge (11) is present opposite of the opening of thedrinking straw (10). Further, the hinge (11) covers the entire length ofthe drinking straw (10). The position and size of hinge (11) is suchthat the two semi-circular side bodies (13, 16) of the drinking straw(10) are spaced no more than approximately 0.050 inches apart andpreferably no more than 0.025 inches apart. As can be seen in FIGS. 2Aand 3A, the hinge (11) formed across the full length of the drinkingstraw (10) makes it possible for straw to remain open completely duringcleaning and drying unless closed by the user. In addition, as shown inFIGS. 1A & 1B, the thickness of hinge (11) present across whole of thedrinking straw (10) is less than the two semi-circular side bodies (13,16) of the drinking straw (10) which makes opening and closing of thestraw convenient for the user. As shown in FIGS. 4A & 4B, the hinge (11)along the entire length of the straw (10) even helps in maintaining thetube shape for the straw.

Another feature of the present invention that makes the drinking straw(10) user-friendly includes tapering the edges of the two semi-circularside bodies (13, 16) allowing first side body (13) and second side body(16) to overlap each other as can be seen in Figs. The thickness of thefirst semi-circular side body (13) and second semi-circular side body(16) is reduced to half. The first semi-circular side body (13) istapered from outside whereas the second semi-circular side body isthinned towards inside. As illustrated in FIGS. 1B & 4B, the taperededge (13 a) of first semi-circular side body (13) overlaps with taperededge (16 a) of second semi-circular side body (16) thereby creating anairlocked closure which prevents leakage from the straw when in use.

The drinking straw (10) of FIG. 1A further comprises of a clippingmechanism which is used to snap close the opening access formed afterthe drinking straw (10) was cut laterally. The clipping mechanismincludes male snap tabs or male clips (14) on the tapered edge (13 a) offirst semi-circular side body (13) and female snap tabs or female clips(15) on the tapered edge (16 a) of second semi-circular side body (16).The male snap tab components (14) are small semi-cylindrical protrusionson first semi-circular side body (13) of the straw whereas female snaptab components (15) are rectangular recess on second semi-circular sidebody (16) of the straw (10) as shown in FIG. 1A. In order to connect theoverlapping semi-circular side bodies (13, 16), usually 3 to 5 maleclips (14) on first semi-circular side body and 3 to 5 female clips (15)on the second semi-circular side body are preferred.

In another embodiment, the female snap tabs or female clips (18) on thetapered edge (16 a) of second semi-circular side body (16) are hollow,as can be seen in FIG. 5, so that the male snap tabs or male clips (14)on the tapered edge (13 a) of first semi-circular side body (13) caninterlock with female clips (18) resulting in a strong closure of thedrinking straw.

The washable and reusable drinking straw (10) of the present inventionmay have variety of hinges and methods to snap close the two sidebodies. It may include, but are not limited to, molded-in living hingeand latch-in/snap in mechanism or external hinge and twisting mechanism.In addition, a magnetic closure can also be used to snap close the twoside bodies.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A & 1B, there is an indentation (17) on theouter part of the first semi-circular side body (13) of the drinkingstraw (10) which helps the user to conveniently open the straw whenneeded. The indentation (17) is a semi-circular notch mostly securedover the first semi-circular side body (13) with an oblong bottomextended on the tapered edge (13 a) of the first semi-circular side body(13) of the drinking straw (10). When the user desires to wash thestraw, a finger or thumb is placed on the indentation (17) and outwardpressure is applied which detaches the male clips (14) from the femaleclips (15) thereby opening the straw (10) for cleaning. As shown inFIGS. 3A & 3B, there is at least one indentation (17) present on theouter part of the first semi-circular side body (13) of the drinkingstraw (10). However, the drinking straw of the present invention mayhave several indentations on the outer part of the first side body. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A & 2B, the drinking straw (10) may haveup to 5 indentations on the outer part of first semi-circular side body(13). In another embodiment, the drinking straw may also have a buttonon the top and/or bottom of the straw that when pressed help inreleasing the hooks allowing it to open.

Since it is a drinking straw which will be used to drink beverages bothhot and cold. The examples of materials that could be used tomanufacture the drinking straws according to the invention include butnot limited to PLA, molded bamboo, recycled plastic. It is preferredthat environmental friendly and compostable materials are used in orderto prevent pollution by straws. The male snap tab and female snap tab ofthe clipping mechanism can be manufactured with the same materials aslisted above.

The straw described in the present invention provides an additionalconvenience to the user as it can be opened in half and can be placed inthe dishwasher thereby effectively cleaning and sanitizing it.

While many of the fundamental characteristics and features of theportable solar storage container have been described herein, withreference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification,various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoingdisclosure, and it should be apparent that in some instances somefeatures of the invention will be employed without a corresponding useof other features without departing from the scope of the invention asset forth. It should be understood that such substitutions,modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Consequently, all such modifications and variations are included withinthe scope of the invention as defined herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece washable cylindrical drinking straw comprising: a. a lateral cut through the length of a portion of the straw cutting the full straw in a first semi-circular side body and a second semi-circular side body resulting in opening access on one surface of the straw wherein the said first semi-circular side body and the said second semi-circular side body overlaps with each other thereby closing the opening of the straw; b. a full-length hinge on the opposite side of the opening formed on the straw wherein the said hinge allows the straw to remain open when placed on its own; c. a clipping mechanism comprising male clips on edge of first semi-circular side body and female clips on edge of second semi-circular side body of the opening formed on the straw creating an airlocked closure when male and female clips are snap closed; d. at least one indentation on the outside of the straw to conveniently open the straw by putting pressure on the said indent and detaching the male clips from female clips.
 2. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein opening access provides two hollow semi-circular straw halves connected with the full length hinge.
 3. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the full length hinge allows the user to connect both halves of the straw maintaining the tube shape for straw.
 4. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the full length hinge is positioned such that the first semi-circular side body and the second semi-circular side body are 0.050 inches apart and preferably no more than 0.025 inches apart
 5. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein the male clips are preferably semi-cylindrical protrusions on edge of the first semi-circular side body.
 6. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein number of male clips on edge of first semi-circular side body are preferably 3 to
 5. 7. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein female clips are preferably rectangular recess on edge of the first semi-circular side body.
 8. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein number of female clips on edge of second semi-circular side body are preferably 3 to
 5. 9. The drinking straw of claim 1, wherein number of indentation on the outside of the straw are preferably 1 to
 5. 